How To Make An ARK Survival Evolved Server

Creating an ARK: Survival Evolved server is the ultimate way to experience the prehistoric world with friends, manage your own island or cluster, and enjoy full control over server settings and gameplay rules. Instead of struggling with unstable internet connections or complex self-hosting setups, using an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server from a reliable hosting provider like Sparked Host gives you instant deployment, powerful hardware, and seamless performance.

Whether you're looking to build a private multiplayer server with invite-only access or open up a public ARK: Survival Evolved server for the community, Sparked Host offers a user-friendly control panel that makes managing server files and game settings incredibly easy.

In this guide, we'll show you how to make an ARK: Survival Evolved server, explore different server hosting options, and help you choose the best ARK: Survival Evolved server solution for your gaming experience.

Step 1: Decide What ARK: Survival Evolved Hosting You Want

The first step to setting up an ARK: Survival Evolved server is choosing the right type of hosting based on your needs. Each method offers different levels of server control, customization, hardware access, and ease of setup. Whether you're a casual survivor looking for smooth gameplay with friends or a dedicated community admin wanting full access to server settings, this step will help you choose the best way to host your own ARK: Survival Evolved server.

Managed ARK: Survival Evolved Server Hosting

Managed ARK: Survival Evolved server hosting is perfect for players who want to skip technical setup like port forwarding and jump straight into the game. With features like instant setup, DDoS protection, automatic updates, and an easy-to-use control panel, this option makes it simple to create and configure your server without needing advanced technical skills.

At Sparked Host, we offer a secure and optimized hosting environment with high-performance hardware, low ping, and a web interface to edit settings, backups, and more. Our support team is ready to assist with any issues, including troubleshooting and access to your ARK: Survival Evolved server files.

This option is ideal if you want to play with friends, run your own persistent survival world, or host a public ARK: Survival Evolved server with zero lag and minimal effort.

ARK: Survival Evolved VPS Hosting

VPS hosting offers a balance between flexibility and performance. Your ARK: Survival Evolved server runs in a virtual environment where you can access game server files, adjust configuration settings, set custom ports, and manage connected players.

With a VPS, you have more control than managed hosting, including the ability to install specific operating systems, configure advanced settings, and scale resources as your tribe and player base grow. You still get a stable hosting environment, but with extra freedom to customize your ARK: Survival Evolved server setup.

This is a great option for experienced users who want to configure the server manually or host a custom gameplay experience with more access to system-level settings and mods.

ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server Hosting

A dedicated server gives you the highest level of control and performance for your ARK: Survival Evolved server. You’ll have full access to all the dedicated server files, ports, and hardware resources, allowing for complete customization. From editing server settings and configuration files to managing mod installations, cluster setups, and operating systems, this method offers total control over every detail.

This is the best choice for hosting large-scale servers with high player counts, cross-map clusters, or maintaining a consistent ARK: Survival Evolved experience for a public server community or content platform. With full control of your dedicated server, you can fine-tune everything, from taming rates and structure decay timers to mod configurations, ensuring smooth gameplay and long-term stability.

Which Option Is The Best?

Choosing the right ARK: Survival Evolved server hosting depends on your goals. If you want to get started quickly with minimal hassle, managed hosting provides instant setup, automatic updates, and an easy-to-use control panel. For users who want more flexibility, VPS hosting allows deeper configuration while maintaining affordability and scalability. If you're building a high-traffic or heavily populated cluster, dedicated server hosting delivers maximum power, performance, and full access.

No matter your choice, Sparked Host ensures your ARK: Survival Evolved server runs smoothly with top-tier hardware, secure ports, and excellent support. Hosting your own ARK: Survival Evolved server isn’t just about launching a game. It’s about creating a living world, building your tribe, and controlling every aspect of your prehistoric adventure.

Step 2: Buy A Plan

For Managed ARK: Survival Evolved Server Hosting

1. Go to the ARK: Survival Evolved Server Hosting page.

2. Choose between Budget, Enterprise, and Extreme server tiers.

Budget Tier: This tier is ideal for small tribes or casual ARK: Survival Evolved players. It offers reliable hardware and enough power to host a stable survival server for a few friends, supporting essential mods, light base building, and smooth gameplay on standard maps.

Enterprise Tier: A balanced option with upgraded hardware, increased storage, and improved performance, perfect for active ARK communities, larger tribes, and expanding player bases. It provides smoother gameplay during boss fights, taming sessions, and exploration across multiple biomes.

Extreme Tier: Designed for high-demand ARK servers, this tier delivers the best performance across all options. It supports massive worlds, large player counts, complex mod setups, and heavily populated clusters while maintaining stable performance and minimal lag during intense raids and dino battles.

The main difference between all the server tiers is that the hardware components (CPU, RAM, SSD, etc.) differ. The Extreme tier uses the best components, while the Budget Tier uses our lowest-priced components. You can view the Hardware used for each location and server tier on our Hardware & Locations page.

3. After choosing the Server Tier you want, select the individual ARK: Survival Evolved Server Hosting plan. The prices of each ARK: Survival Evolved Hosting plan are scaled according to the resources and RAM they use.

You can also change the Billing Cycle to suit your preference, choose between Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annually, or Annually. Longer billing cycles often come with discounted rates, making them a great choice if you plan to host your ARK: Survival Evolved server long-term.

1. Once you have selected the plan and billing cycle you want to use, fill out the rest of the configurable options, such as the ARK: Survival Evolved Server Location, the number of backups you want, and other additional add-ons.

2. When you are ready to purchase the services you selected, you can go to your cart to review the selected items and check out when you are ready. Optionally, if you have one, you can also enter a promo code to get a discount on your purchase.

3. From there, you can select your preferred payment method and register a Sparked Host Client Area account if you do not already have one.

You can view the different payment methods we accept and their availability on our Payment Methods page.

For ARK: Survival Evolved VPS Hosting

1. Go to the VPS Hosting page.

2. Choose between the Premium and Budget hardware tiers.

Budget Tier: This tier is ideal for small-scale servers or testing setups. It offers reliable performance at a lower cost, perfect for hosting a few players with light modding.

Premium Tier: This Tier provides enhanced CPU power, more generous network bandwidth, and greater overall reliability, which is ideal for handling larger maps, more players, and complex configurations.

Choose the Budget Tier if you’re running a small server or trying out features. Opt for Premium if you plan to grow your community, install custom maps, or want a consistently smooth gaming experience with less congestion during peak playtime.

Each location may use different hardware configurations but offer equivalent performance. You can check the specific hardware used at each location by visiting our Hardware & Locations page.

3. Once you've selected your preferred Hardware Tier, choose the VPS Hosting plan that suits your needs. Each plan is priced based on the resources and bandwidth it offers.

You can also choose the Server Location that best suits your needs. Sparked Host offers multiple global locations, allowing you to host your VPS Hosting service closer to you or your player base. Selecting a location near your region helps reduce latency and ensures a smoother, more responsive gameplay experience for you and other players.

4. Once you have selected the plan you want to use, fill out the rest of the configurable options, such as the number of IPv4 Addresses you want, and other additional addons like our "Pterodactyl Installation" and "Security Check" addons.

5. When you are ready to purchase the services you selected, you can go to your cart to review the selected items and check out when you are ready. Optionally, if you have one, you can also enter a promo code to get a discount on your purchase.

6. From there, you can select your preferred payment method and register a Sparked Host Client Area account if you do not already have one.

You can view the different payment methods we accept and their availability on our Payment Methods page.

For ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server Hosting

1. Go to the Dedicated Server Hosting page.

2. Click the Deploy button to select the Dedicated Server you want to deploy. You can filter the list by location, order it by highest performance, and even filter it if you wish the server to use an AMD or Intel processor.

3. After selecting the server you want to use, you can configure options such as the OS it should use and use addons such as our "Full Software Support/Managed Dedicated Server" and "Apollo Panel Instance" addons.

4. When you are ready to purchase the services you selected, you can go to your cart to review the selected items and check out when you are ready. Optionally, if you have one, you can also enter a promo code to get a discount on your purchase.

5. From there, you can select your preferred payment method and register a Sparked Host Client Area account if you do not already have one.

You can view the different payment methods we accept and their availability on our Payment Methods page.

Step 3: Get Your Login Details

For Managed ARK: Survival Evolved Server Hosting

You can find your login details for your Apollo Panel account to manage the game server by looking for an email from us with the subject "Panel Account Details." The email will contain details such as the link to the panel to manage your game server and your Panel Account username and password.

For ARK: Survival Evolved VPS Hosting

You will not get an email with your VF Panel login details, just like the email for a Managed Unturned Server Hosting service. Therefore, to get the password for your VF Panel account, you will need to reset it first. You can do so by going to the VF Panel Lost Password page, and then you will be sent an email to reset your VF Panel Account password. The email address will be the same as the one used for your Client Area account.

For ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server Hosting

If you purchased a Rapid Deploy Dedicated Server, you can find your login details for your Dedicated Server Manager account to manage the dedicated server by looking for an email from us with the subject "Your Dedicated Server Information." The email will contain details such as the link to the panel to manage your dedicated server, the server's IP Address, and other information.

If it isn't a Rapid Deploy Dedicated Server or a custom-built one, you will get the login details from the ticket made for the Dedicated Server.

Step 4: Setup Your ARK: Survival Evolved Server

For Managed ARK: Survival Evolved Server Hosting

1. You can log in to the Apollo Panel with the login details you received earlier or using your Client Area account with the "Login via Billing" button.

1. Select your Unturned Server Hosting service on the Servers page.

1. Go to the Startup Tab and configure some settings, such as the server's name, server difficulty, the map to be used, and many more.

1. If you want to use some mods from the Steam Workshop or even a custom map, you can install them using the Steam Workshop Tab, and all you would need to do is paste the link or ID of the Workshop Item or Collection, and the Unturned Server will install the items for you.

1. After configuring all the necessary settings, click the Start button to launch the service and begin enjoying your server once it's up and running.

For ARK: Survival Evolved VPS Hosting and ARK: Survival Evolved Dedicated Server Hosting

If you use a VPS or Dedicated Server Hosting service, you must manually set up the server to run as an ARK: Survival Evolved Server. There are guides from sites like the ARK Official Community Wiki, which you can follow to install the necessary software to run an ARK: Survival Evolved Server on your own server.

Optionally, for Dedicated Servers, you can include the "Apollo Panel Instance" addon in your service order, wherein we will install the Apollo Panel, our sleek, custom-built control panel for Sparked Host users that will allow you to effortlessly manage your server with powerful tools, an easy-to-use interface, and all the features you need to stay in control.

Updated on: 03/11/2025